Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how a partnership is defined for the purpose of applications to the suckler cow premium scheme quota national reserve.

Ross Finnie: A partnership is not specifically defined in the legislation governing suckler cow quota. The definition used is that given in section 1(1) of the Partnership Act 1890.

Agriculture

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the eligibility rules governing applications to the sheep annual premium scheme quota national reserve and the suckler cow premium scheme quota national reserve are a reserved or a devolved matter and, if devolved, what plans it has to review the operation of these rules.

Ross Finnie: Agriculture, as a whole, is a devolved matter. However, there are currently no plans to review either the eligibility criteria or the categories of the national reserves.

Agriculture

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the suckler cow premium scheme quota national reserve eligibility rules regarding partnerships differ from rules on partnerships applied in relation to other quota reserves.

Ross Finnie: The eligibility criteria for allocations of livestock quota from both the suckler cow premium scheme and the sheep annual premium scheme are identical and partnerships applying to either reserve are treated in exactly the same way.

Agriculture

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a husband and wife who jointly own a farm are treated as a partnership for the purposes of the eligibility rules governing applications to livestock quota reserves.

Ross Finnie: It is up to the individuals involved to decide on how they wish to trade. It is true that, in Scotland, most husband and wife teams will form a partnership for the purposes of claiming subsidy. However, many prefer to trade as a sole producer with only the husband or the wife becoming directly involved in the farming enterprise. This remains a business decision which the couple must take. Once that decision has been taken the business will then claim subsidies either as a partnership or a sole producer regardless of issues such as marital status.

Agriculture

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive why producers moving from one constituent part of the UK to another take quota obtained from the suckler cow premium scheme quota national reserve with them.

Ross Finnie: Since the introduction of livestock quotas in 1993, a system of ring fencing has been in place to protect the movement of quota away from sensitive areas. It is therefore not possible for producers taking a business decision to move from one constituent part of the UK to another to use their existing quota in a different ring-fence area, whether or not it was allocated from a National Reserve. Quota is however tradeable and producers may sell the quota they hold relating to their original ring-fence designation and purchase quota relating to their new designation. Producers who receive quota from a National Reserve, however, must use their quota to claim premium for three years following its allocation before they can sell or temporarily lease it.

Agriculture

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what rules apply in relation to the transfer of suckler cow premium scheme quotas to the national reserve and, in particular, what percentage of quota is returned to the national reserve when quotas are sold.

Ross Finnie: The suckler cow premium scheme national reserve has to be created from existing quota and is supplied by quota siphoned from quota sold on the open market. In addition to siphons of quota, the reserve normally also receives quota removed from producers who have failed to use their quota either by claiming premium or leasing it to other producers or a combination of both.

  The UK currently operates a 15% siphon to quota transactions, the maximum permitted under EC legislation.

Agriculture

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Scottish Agricultural College plays in advising farmers on quota applications and whether the college acts as an agent of its Environment and Rural Affairs Department or on a commercial basis when providing such advice.

Ross Finnie: Many producers choose to use the services of agricultural consultants on a variety of business matters, including the claiming of EU subsidies. The Scottish Agricultural College offers a full range of such services for which they charge fees. When offering advice on business issues, including those relating to livestock quotas, the college does so purely on a commercial basis.

Bridges

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of bridges have been assessed and strengthened where required to 44 tonnes carrying capacity since 1 January 1999 in accordance with European legislation.

Sarah Boyack: This information is not held centrally.

Bridges

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding has been made available to fund the £166 million estimated by the Society of Chief Officers for Transportation in Scotland as needed to assess bridges in the local authority roads network and strengthen them when required to 44 tonnes carrying capacity in accordance with European legislation.

Sarah Boyack: Scottish Executive support for local authorities’ capital expenditure on roads and transport is included within the single capital allocation which covers all non-housing programmes. An extra £70 million is being allocated to local authorities over three years for capital investment in local roads and bridges. It is for local authorities to prioritise the upgrading of bridges and allocate the necessary funding from the resources available to them.

Bridges

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to expedite the programme of assessment and strengthening up to 44 tonnes carrying capacity of all bridges in the local authority road network.

Sarah Boyack: It is entirely a matter for each council, as the local roads authority for its area, to take the appropriate action.

Children

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the impact of the Child Strategy Statement.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Child Strategy Statement urges all parts of the Scottish Executive to take children’s interests into account when developing and implementing policy, noting the importance of ensuring that overlapping areas of policy affecting children are properly co-ordinated. This will be particularly emphasised in a report on integrated children’s services in Scotland, written by a team of secondees to the Executive from local government, the health service and the voluntary sector, which will be published soon.

Cities

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it will give in its review of the cities to the development of rural areas surrounding cities.

Angus MacKay: The formal remit for the review is explicit in the need to look at the prospects for Scotland’s five cities "taking account of interactions between the cities, their surrounding areas and the rest of Scotland". This includes rural areas. COSLA has a seat on the external Sounding Board and the Review Team will be seeking the views of neighbouring authorities as work progresses.

Construction Industry

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its strategy is for the development of the construction industry.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive maintains regular dialogue with the industry on key issues through the Scottish Construction Industry Group. Two key issues that have been raised at recent meetings have been taking forward Rethinking Construction in Scotland and industry capacity. In response to a proposal from the Scottish Construction Industry Group and key industry stakeholders, the Executive has granted funding for a secondee to a short-term project to manage and promote knowledge on best practice and Rethinking Construction activities throughout Scotland. To help ensure capacity within the industry, the Executive in January announced up to £100,000 funding for research to help maximise employment opportunities from housing stock transfer. A report from the research is expected shortly after which the Executive will consider the findings.

Crime

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences involving the (a) possession, (b) presentation and (c) use of imitation firearms there were in (i) Scotland and (ii) each police force area in each of the past three years.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information is given in the tables:

  Crimes and offences recorded by the police in Scotland in which an imitation firearm was alleged to have been used: 1997

  

Police force 
  

Crime/offence 
  



Serious
Assault 
  

Robbery 
  

Reckless
Conduct 
  

Firearms
Act 1968
offences1


Petty
Assault 
  

Other
offences 
  

Total 
  





Northern 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

1 
  

2 
  



Grampian 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

2 
  

2 
  

0 
  

5 
  



Tayside 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

13 
  

1 
  

1 
  

17 
  



Fife 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Lothian & BORDERs 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

4 
  

0 
  

5 
  



Central 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

1 
  

3 
  



Strathclyde 
  

1 
  

10 
  

0 
  

28 
  

6 
  

0 
  

45 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

6 
  

0 
  

0 
  

8 
  



Scotland 
  

1 
  

14 
  

3 
  

49 
  

15 
  

3 
  

85 
  



  Notes:

  1. For example, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, commit a crime etc. and other miscellaneous firearms offences.

  Crimes and offences recorded by the police in Scotland in which an imitation firearm was alleged to have been used: 1998

  


Police force 
  

Crime/offence 
  



Serious
Assault 
  

Robbery 
  

Reckless
Conduct 
  

Firearms
Act 1968
offences1


Petty
Assault 
  

Other
offences 
  

Total 
  



Northern 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Grampian 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

3 
  



Tayside 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

4 
  

0 
  

0 
  

5 
  



Fife 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

1 
  

0 
  

2 
  



Lothian & BORDERs 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

2 
  



Central 
  

0 
  

3 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

3 
  

6 
  



Strathclyde 
  

0 
  

8 
  

0 
  

16 
  

5 
  

0 
  

29 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Scotland 
  

0 
  

13 
  

0 
  

23 
  

8 
  

3 
  

47 
  



  Notes:

  1. For example, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, commit a crime etc. and other miscellaneous firearms offences.

  Crimes and offences recorded by the police in Scotland in which an imitation firearm was alleged to have been used: 1999

  


Police force 
  

Crime/offence 
  



Serious
Assault 
  

Robbery 
  

Reckless
Conduct 
  

Firearms
Act 1968 offences1


Petty
Assault 
  

Other
offences 
  

Total 
  




Northern 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Grampian 
  

0 
  

5 
  

0 
  

6 
  

2 
  

4 
  

17 
  



Tayside 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

5 
  

0 
  

0 
  

5 
  



Fife 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

2 
  



Lothian & BORDERs 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

5 
  

1 
  

8 
  



Central 
  

1 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  

3 
  

5 
  

11 
  



Strathclyde 
  

0 
  

8 
  

0 
  

27 
  

8 
  

0 
  

43 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  



Scotland 
  

1 
  

15 
  

1 
  

41 
  

18 
  

11 
  

87 
  



  Notes:

  1. For example, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, commit a crime etc. and other miscellaneous firearms offences.

Crime

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences involving the possession or use of knives there were in (a) Scotland and (b) each police force area in each of the past three years.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information concerning crimes involving possession of a knife is given in the following tables:

  Crimes of possession of an offensive weapon recorded by the police in Scotland 1997

  


Force 
  

Possession of an offensive weapon1


Having in a public place an article with 
  a blade or point2


Total 
  



Central 
  

144 
  

55 
  

199 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

175 
  

20 
  

195 
  



Fife 
  

258 
  

30 
  

288 
  



Grampian 
  

275 
  

105 
  

380 
  



Lothian & BORDERs 
  

372 
  

220 
  

592 
  



Northern 
  

165 
  

47 
  

212 
  



Strathclyde 
  

2,257 
  

1,287 
  

3,544 
  



Tayside 
  

433 
  

137 
  

570 
  



Scotland 
  

4,079 
  

1,901 
  

5,980 
  



  Notes:

  1. Crimes of possession of penknives or other short bladed articles are normally recorded under this category but possession of offensive weapons other than knives will also be included.

  2. This crime category may include possession of articles that are not knives but have blades or sharp points but will not normally include possession of penknives or other short bladed articles.

  Crimes of possession of an offensive weapon recorded by the police in Scotland 1998

  


Force 
  

Possession of an offensive weapon1


Having in a public place an article with 
  a blade or point2


Total 
  



Central 
  

143 
  

56 
  

199 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

150 
  

18 
  

168 
  



Fife 
  

205 
  

63 
  

268 
  



Grampian 
  

266 
  

103 
  

369 
  



Lothian & BORDERs 
  

378 
  

224 
  

602 
  



Northern 
  

169 
  

43 
  

212 
  



Strathclyde 
  

2,505 
  

1,773 
  

4,278 
  



Tayside 
  

526 
  

117 
  

643 
  



Scotland 
  

4,342 
  

2,397 
  

6,739 
  



  Notes:

  1. Crimes of possession of penknives or other short bladed articles are normally recorded under this category but possession of offensive weapons other than knives will also be included.

  2. This crime category may include possession of articles that are not knives but have blades or sharp points but will not normally include possession of penknives or other short bladed articles.

  Crimes of possession of an offensive weapon recorded by the police in Scotland 1999

  


Force 
  

Possession of an offensive weapon1


Having in a public place an article with 
  a blade or point2


Total 
  



Central 
  

173 
  

60 
  

233 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

121 
  

21 
  

142 
  



Fife 
  

270 
  

59 
  

329 
  



Grampian 
  

316 
  

119 
  

435 
  



Lothian & BORDERs 
  

489 
  

254 
  

743 
  



Northern 
  

224 
  

53 
  

277 
  



Strathclyde 
  

2,784 
  

2,396 
  

5,180 
  



Tayside 
  

428 
  

127 
  

555 
  



Scotland 
  

4,805 
  

3,089 
  

7,894 
  



  Notes:

  1. Crimes of possession of penknives or other short bladed articles are normally recorded under this category but possession of offensive weapons other than knives will also be included.

  2. This crime category may include possession of articles that are not knives but have blades or sharp points but will not normally include possession of penknives or other short bladed articles.

  Crimes of possession of an offensive weapon recorded by the police in Scotland 2000

  


Force 
  

Possession of an offensive weapon1


Having in a public place an article with 
  a blade or point2


Total 
  



Central 
  

162 
  

57 
  

219 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

135 
  

17 
  

152 
  



Fife 
  

332 
  

86 
  

418 
  



Grampian 
  

348 
  

90 
  

438 
  



Lothian & BORDERs 
  

701 
  

242 
  

943 
  



Northern 
  

178 
  

54 
  

232 
  



Strathclyde 
  

2,863 
  

2,301 
  

5,164 
  



Tayside 
  

477 
  

106 
  

583 
  



Scotland 
  

5,196 
  

2,953 
  

8,149 
  



  Notes:

  1. Crimes of possession of penknives or other short bladed articles are normally recorded under this category but possession of offensive weapons other than knives will also be included.

  2. This crime category may include possession of articles that are not knives but have blades or sharp points but will not normally include possession of penknives or other short bladed articles.

  Crimes where a knife is used to threaten or injure will be recorded only under the relevant crime e.g. serious assault, robbery etc and are not separately distinguished in the available statistics. The only exception is crimes of homicide, where the available information is given in the table:

  Homicide victims1 by police force area in Scotland, where the main method of killing is by a sharp instrument, 1997-99

  


Force 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  


Central 
  

2 
  

- 
  

2 
  


Dumfries & Galloway 
  

1 
  

- 
  

1 
  


Fife 
  

1 
  

- 
  

- 
  


Grampian 
  

- 
  

3 
  

4 
  


Lothian & BORDERs 
  

4 
  

7 
  

5 
  


Northern 
  

- 
  

1 
  

1 
  


Strathclyde 
  

26 
  

31 
  

51 
  


Tayside 
  

1 
  

2 
  

2 
  


Scotland 
  

35 
  

44 
  

66 
  



  Notes:

  1. Currently (as at November 2000) recorded as homicide victims.

Deaf People

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it provides directly or via other bodies to help deaf people access information on education, employment, local authority and library services by videotelephony.

Jackie Baillie: The Executive supports a number of organisations which aim to establish the needs of deaf people and develop strategies to meet identified local needs, including information access. The organisations work with other agencies to encourage development and arrange implementation of appropriate services.

Education

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve the interface between primary and secondary education.

Mr Jack McConnell: I announced on 20 September that I intend to revise the current system of assessment to ensure that a coherent integrated system is in operation in both primary and secondary schools. A key issue is the transition between primary and secondary school and the measures that I announced are designed to ensure an improved interface between primary and secondary school.

  Education authorities manage collaboration amongst associated schools’ groups and there are good examples where joint planning and teaching of programmes in specific subjects has improved pupils’ transition from P7 to S1. Recent revision of 5-14 guidelines, for example in Environmental Studies and Modern European Languages, should support and improve collaborative planning by identifying lines of progression more clearly.

  HM Inspectors of Education use published quality indicators to evaluate links between primary and secondary schools as part of school inspections. The School Improvement Framework will provide schools with information on their progress in meeting targets related to the National Priorities for education, also using quality indicators. This will allow better feedback on the learning and achievements of P7 pupils, ensuring more effective provision and support for pupils as they enter secondary school.

Education

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what year-on-year improvements in reducing the number of days lost through exclusions from school and truancy have been achieved since the target of reducing this number by a third was set.

Mr Jack McConnell: The level of unauthorised absence in both primary and secondary schools was stable between 1997-98 and 1999-2000.

  It is too early to identify trends in exclusion as the annual survey of exclusions so far covers only two years. However, although the number of temporary exclusions increased slightly between 1998-99 and 1999-2000, the number of days lost has gone down as a result of a reduction in the average length of an exclusion. The number of removals from register has also increased slightly but nearly half of these have not resulted in any break in attendance.

  The Discipline Task Group report Better Behaviour - Better Learning makes recommendations which will assist local authorities in delivering year-on-year improvements in reducing exclusion and truancy. An action plan for implementation of the recommendations is being drawn up and I expect to publish it in a few weeks time.

Employment

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made by the Motorola task force.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: The task force aim is to ensure that 95% of former Motorola employees will find new employment within one year. At the end of September, of the 2,330 employees who have left the plant, 954 people have found new jobs, 168 have gone into further or higher education, 35 are self-employed and five have retired. Over 1,600 individuals are benefiting from training.

Enterprise

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have been held with Her Majesty’s Government on promotion of the constituent parts of the United Kingdom to foreign investors.

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by the Committee on Overseas Promotion.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Committee on Overseas Promotion (COP) is the formal organisation for the partnership between Invest-UK and all the national and regional inward investment agencies in the United Kingdom, including Locate in Scotland (LiS).

  COP has developed agreed procedures governing how the necessary degree of co-ordination, with regard to the handling of potential international mobile projects, is carried out on a day to day basis.

  The Scottish Executive, through LiS, keeps in contact with the UK Government to discuss inward investment-related issues at the regular meetings of COP.

  Additionally, LiS officials maintain regular contact with Invest-UK on a number of operational issues. For example, senior LiS officials will be attending the two day COP meeting in November to discuss likely forward trends and marketing strategy.

Enterprise

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what reports it has received on consultations between Scottish Trade International and British Trade International on programmes aimed at meeting the needs of companies in Scotland for the promotion of trade and inward investment.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Scottish Trade International (STI) and Locate in Scotland (LiS), which are both joint ventures between the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise, have close working relationships with British Trade International, and its export and inward investment bodies – Trade Partners UK (TPUK) and Invest UK. Indeed, STI delivers all TPUK services in Scotland. This ensures that there is co-ordination of trade development and the promotion of foreign direct investment in Scotland.

  The Scottish Executive is also represented on the board of British Trade International.

Enterprise

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to support small- or medium-sized businesses considering development of their export businesses.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive, through Scottish Trade International (STI), is committed to helping all Scottish exporters. STI’s activities have, over the past five years, been directed by "The International Challenge" Export Development Strategy for Scotland, with its focus on small- and medium-sized companies. During this period, the target of assisting 500 companies to export for the first time was exceeded by more than 20%. A network of 13 Export Partnerships, bringing together the Local Enterprise Company, local authorities and Chambers of Commerce, was also created across Scotland, to provide co-ordinated support to companies at a local level.

  In 2000-01 alone, STI worked with over 1,100 companies in Scotland and as well as helping new exporters, also helped introduce existing exporters to 567 new markets. In addition, in the same year the Scottish Enterprise Network and Highlands & Islands Enterprise together engaged in around 2,500 export competitiveness projects.

  The continuing need to ensure that companies in Scotland are able to realise the full benefits of trading in international markets is a key feature of the Global Connections Strategy launched today. This will provide a focus for future international economic development activity.

Enterprise

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have taken to encourage small- or medium-sized businesses considering development of their export businesses to make use of the services of Trade Partners UK and with what results.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Scottish Trade International (STI) delivers all Trade Partners UK services to companies in Scotland, and is the sole organisation to do so. The Trade Division of the newly formed Scottish Development International, which will encompass all Scottish Enterprise’s overseas international development activities, will retain this responsibility.

  During 2000-01, STI delivered almost 400 TPUK services to firms in Scotland.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with MagicStar Corporation (UK) regarding the development of the proposed MagicStar themepark and resort project.

Ms Wendy Alexander: While the Scottish Executive has had some initial contact with MagicStar Corporation about the proposed themepark and resort development project at Bishopton and we are aware of the development proposals, we have had as yet no discussions with MagicStar Corporation concerning these proposals.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with BAE Systems regarding the disposal of their site in Bishopton, in particular on meeting the objectives of the area’s regional planning strategy.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Bishopton working group was established by my predecessor in 1999 to look at the future use of the Royal Ordnance site at Bishopton. I understand that negotiations are currently on-going between the planning authority and BAE Systems on the appropriate development at Bishopton in the context of the finalised Structure Plan for Glasgow and the Clyde Valley.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any funding, including regional development grants, which was given to BAE Systems to attract them to establish a plant at Bishopton.

Ms Wendy Alexander: No funding, including regional development grants, has been given to either BAE Systems, or its predecessor British Aerospace, to attract them to establish a plant at Bishopton. In 1989, however, British Aerospace was offered £2.8 million of Regional Selective Assistance for a project to manufacture ammunition at Bishopton. This was paid in full and the project completed in 1992.

Environment

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of any breaches by it of European environmental law currently being investigated by the European Commission and what action it is taking both in respect of any such breaches and to prevent any in future.

Ross Finnie: All member states of the European Union are currently the subject of investigations by the European Commission regarding breaches of European environmental law. The United Kingdom has a good record on such matters.

  There is one breach of European environmental law concerning Scotland where the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has issued a formal judgment against the UK’s implementation of the EC Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC).

  In this case, which is a result of the UK’s implementation of the directive in the early 1990s, the UK had taken the view that the directive applied to surface freshwaters and groundwaters only where necessary to protect drinking water sources. In the course of proceedings culminating in the ECJ judgment, the UK admitted this was incorrect and that the Directive applied to the protection of all freshwaters on the surface and underground.

  The Scottish Executive now plans to consult on new Nitrate Vulnerable Zones later this year, working closely with stakeholders at all stages of the process. This will lead to designations where appropriate.

  In addition there are two environmental infraction cases concerning Scotland where a notice has been published in the Official Journal of the European Communities that the cases have been referred to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) by the European Commission. The first concerns an alleged breach of the Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC); and the second concerns three Waste Management Directives (the Waste Framework (75/442/EEC), Hazardous Waste (91/689/EEC), and Packaging Waste (91/62/EEC) Directives).

  Regarding the Bathing Water case, the Scottish Executive is committed to bringing Scotland’s 60 designated bathing beaches up to European standards. This commitment was made in the knowledge that it would involve an enormous programme of work to redress years of underinvestment in our water infrastructure. The Executive is in the middle of a programme of investment of around £3.5 billion over seven years, about half of which will be spent on waste water issues. This will bring substantial improvement to the Scottish coastline.

  As this investment programme progresses it is bringing into focus other causes of bathing water failure. These point to the need to tackle diffuse pollution. The Scottish Executive is working with farmers and others to identify and combat non-sewage causes of pollution of bathing waters.

  The Waste Management case relates to the requirement to prepare waste plans. The Executive has accepted that the plans relevant to this case – prepared by the former District and Islands Councils - were not adequate. Nevertheless, the Executive believes that the National Waste Strategy for Scotland, supplemented with further detailed data on waste in Scotland which are to be published shortly by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, will meet the directives’ requirements.

  The Executive is committed to the promotion of sustainable development and the protection and improvement of Scotland’s environment, and it is determined to implement its European environmental obligations properly.

  The Executive believes its involvement with Europe needs to be about more than just legislation, and it is committed to putting Scotland at the heart of the European movement for sustainable development. As part of this it is organising two seminars on the environment as part of Scotland Week in Brussels on 11 and 12 October.

Ferry Services

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in ensuring that the international ferry link between Rosyth and continental Europe will be operational by next year.

Lewis Macdonald: Superfast Ferries and Forth Ports who wish to develop the link have submitted applications for Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) to fund the project. Consideration of these applications has been given top priority but the European Commission has still to respond to a UK request – made in spring of this year – seeking the Commission’s agreement to extend the existing inland waterways FFG scheme to cover shipping.

Fertility Treatment

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the level of funding devoted to infertility services by each health board.

Susan Deacon: The latest available figures on amounts spent by Health Boards on infertility services are given in the report of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland, which was published in February 2000.

Fertility Treatment

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is committed to providing a full range of treatments for infertility.

Susan Deacon: In February 2000 we published the report of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland. The report recommended a set of criteria for NHS Funded assisted conception and, in our letter to the NHSScotland of 10 February 2000, health boards were asked to work towards implementing these recommendations, within existing resources.

Fertility Treatment

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any additional central funding has been made available in each of the last two years in respect of infertility services.

Susan Deacon: Health boards have been asked to implement the recommendations of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland within existing resources.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak will have on the availability of quotas from the suckler cow premium scheme quota national reserve in 2002.

Ross Finnie: It is thought unlikely that the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak will have any serious impact on the availability of quota from the 2002 suckler cow premium national reserve.

Freedom of Information Bill

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Freedom of Information Bill will include provisions to improve access to police road traffic accident reports.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill will, if enacted, establish a general legal right of access to information held by Scottish public authorities. The Bill also includes necessary safeguards to protect sensitive information.

  Police road traffic accident reports often contain sensitive information, most notably those on accidents involving fatalities, and placing this information in the public domain may cause significant distress to, for example, victims’ families. As the Bill would provide a right of access open to all, with applicants not needing to demonstrate any specific interest in the information requested, it will not normally be appropriate for police road traffic accident reports to be disclosed to the wider public under Freedom of Information. It is envisaged that public authorities will consider requests for disclosure of police road traffic accident reports under the exemption at section 34 of the Bill and, in accordance with section 2, consider whether there is a public interest in disclosure.

  Police road traffic accident reports may of course continue to be made available in private to those with a legitimate interest.

Health

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in the provision of services by NHS 24.

Susan Deacon: Significant consultation with the NHS in Scotland and patient representatives has resulted in the development of a service blueprint for NHS 24. The service has been established as a Special Health Board and is accountable to the Scottish Executive Health Department.

  NHS 24 will be available to callers 24 hours a day, every day of the year and will provide three core activities:

  nurse consultation and triage of patient symptoms;

  the provision of health information, locally and nationally, and

  will integrate with GP out-of-hours services, A&E departments and the Scottish Ambulance Service to provide a seamless service and simplify contact with the NHS for members of the public.

  NHS 24 will operate out of three contact centres located in the north-east, the west and the east of Scotland. Commissioning and recruitment for the first of the three contact centres is on target for its planned start in spring 2002.

Health

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in providing NHS walk-in centres.

Susan Deacon: The Programme for Government sets out our commitment to launch a new generation of walk-in/walk-out hospitals (also known as ambulatory care and diagnostic centres) by 2002. Various parts of NHSScotland are currently developing such initiatives.

Health

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering a delay in the application of the Data Protection Act to the NHS in Scotland in line with that agreed in England and Wales.

Susan Deacon: All provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 are coming into force across the UK according to the timetables that have been set out in the legislation. There will be no delay in applying the Act to the NHS.

  There continues to be concerns about the impact of legislation and existing common law requirements on important NHS data processing, and equally importantly, it has become clear that the patient-centred service we wish to build requires us to build a different relationship between patients and service providers, one that gives patients more control over who sees their health records and for what reasons. No change is no longer an option but change must be carefully managed. The Health and Social Care Act 2001 provides the Secretary of State for Health with power to make specified uses of patient information a requirement in law in England and Wales. This is a largely transitional measure, intended to ensure that key activity can continue whilst changes to systems and working practices, that will permit the standards required by law, ethics and policy to be met, are made.

  In Scotland, we have been consulting on our own programme of change and expect the results of this consultation to be available later in the year. We are committed to ensuring that there is no disruption to essential NHS activity and have not dismissed legislation as an option.

Higher and Further Education

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many students under 18 enrolled in (a) further and (b) higher education in each of the past three years.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The table shows the number of students under 18 enrolled in further and higher education for the academic years 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000.

  

 

1997-98 
  

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  



Higher Education 
  

7,286 
  

7,151 
  

6,920 
  



Further Education – Vocational students 
  

67,331 
  

67,500 
  

70,325 
  



Further Education – Non Vocational students 
  

N/A* 
  

9,933 
  

11,731 
  



  Sources:

  Higher Education Statistics Agency, Scottish Further Education Funding Council and Scottish Executive.

  Notes:

  *Age data was not collected for students on non-vocational courses until 1998-99, therefore figures for 1997-98 are not held centrally.

  Information for the most recent year (2000-01) is not yet available. This is because the information is collected after the end of each academic year. We have therefore included figures for 1997-98 to illustrate a three-year period.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff the executive agency being set up to replace Scottish Homes will require.

Jackie Baillie: The current expectation is that Communities Scotland, the executive agency being set up to replace Scottish Homes, will require around 500 full-time equivalent staff.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff are currently employed by Scottish Homes.

Jackie Baillie: Scottish Homes currently has an establishment of 567 full-time equivalent staff.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff will be transferred from the employ of Scottish Homes to the executive agency being set up to replace Scottish Homes.

Jackie Baillie: Around 470 full-time equivalent staff are expected to be transferred to the executive agency being set up to replace Scottish Homes.

  Some Scottish Homes staff will remain with the Scottish Homes Residuary Body.

Individual Learning Accounts

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it authorised the Shock Mind Computer Training Company to promote Individual Learning Accounts.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive does not authorise learning providers to promote Individual Learning Accounts.

Individual Learning Accounts

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Individual Learning Account payments have been assigned to Shock Mind Computer Training Company.

Ms Wendy Alexander: As at Thursday 27 September, payments have been made to Shock Mind Computer Training in respect of 813 claims they have made under the Individual Learning Account scheme.

Individual Learning Accounts

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Individual Learning Accounts (ILA) can be set up without the requirement for the signature of individual applicants.

Ms Wendy Alexander: No. An Individual Learning Account (ILA) can only be opened on receipt of a signed ILA application form.

Individual Learning Accounts

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Individual Learning Account funds can be passed to claimant training companies without proof of agreement from fund holders.

Ms Wendy Alexander: No. The learning provider must obtain the Individual Learning Account (ILA) holder’s signature on an enrolment form before the course of study commences. This serves as the ILA holder’s authority for the learning provider to claim ILA monies from the holder’s account. The learning provider must retain a copy of this form and can be requested to make it available for audit purposes.

Individual Learning Accounts

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure the validity of applications for Individual Learning Accounts and how it monitors their subsequent management.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Responsibility for checking the validity of Individual Learning Account (ILA) applications rests with Capita Business Services Ltd who operate the ILA Centre under contract to the Scottish Executive.

  The Scottish Executive regularly receives monitoring information from Capita regarding the management of ILAs.

Influenza

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in meeting its target for flu vaccinations.

Susan Deacon: I announced details of the Executive’s comprehensive £10.5 million flu immunisation programme for the coming winter.

  Following last winter’s successful campaign, we have set a new more ambitious uptake target of 65% for people aged 65 and over, supported by enhanced measures to encourage eligible groups to come forward for the flu jab.

Justice

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in developing community legal services.

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its spending plans are on community legal services.

Mr Jim Wallace: I am awaiting the report of a broadly-based working group which I set up to consider how a community legal service might be developed for Scotland. I expect to receive that report at the end of October, and will consider the way forward once I have studied it.

Justice

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) community service orders, (b) probation orders, (c) supervised attendance orders and (d) custodial sentences were imposed in each of the past three years, broken down by local authority area.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested on community service orders and probation orders is given in tables 7 and 13 of the Statistical Bulletin Criminal Justice Social Work Statistics, 1999-2000 ; published by the Scottish Executive in November 2000, a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 16387). Information on supervised attendance orders by local authority area, readily available only for 1999-2000 which was the first full year of national availability, is detailed in table 1. Information on custodial sentences is available by court rather than local authority. Figures for the three latest available years are shown in tables 2 to 4.

  Supervised attendance orders – Table 1

  

Local authority 
  

1999-2000 
  



Aberdeen City 
  

88 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

65 
  



Angus 
  

137 
  



Argyll & Bute 
  

13 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

 18 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

 179 
  



Dundee City 
  

 235 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

 201 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

 10 
  



East Lothian 
  

 14 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

 14 
  



Edinburgh, City of 
  

 96 
  



Eilean Siar 
  

 - 
  



Falkirk 
  

 141 
  



Fife 
  

 104 
  



Glasgow City 
  

 63 
  



Highland 
  

 66 
  



Inverclyde 
  

 77 
  



Midlothian 
  

 22 
  



Moray 
  

 18 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

 66 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

 94 
  



Orkney 
  

 2 
  



Perth & Kinross 
  

 118 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

 43 
  



Scottish BORDERs 
  

 51 
  



Shetland 
  

 4 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

 134 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

 105 
  



Stirling 
  

 97 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

 68 
  



West Lothian 
  

 58 
  



  Custodial sentences, 1997-99 Table 2

  District Courts (including Stipendiary Magistrates)

  

Court 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  



Aberdeen City 
  

 34 
  

 85 
  

 55 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

 9 
  

 6 
  

 5 
  



Angus 
  

 9 
  

 11 
  

 5 
  



Argyll & Bute 
  

 2 
  

 3 
  

 1 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

 - 
  

 1 
  

 1 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

 22 
  

 13 
  

 4 
  



Dundee City 
  

 74 
  

 81 
  

 41 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

 12 
  

 19 
  

 13 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

 17 
  

 9 
  

 3 
  



East Lothian 
  

 - 
  

 - 
  

 - 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

 1 
  

 1 
  

 - 
  



Edinburgh, City of 
  

 17 
  

 7 
  

 4 
  



Eilean Siar 
  

 4 
  

 - 
  

 - 
  



Falkirk 
  

 13 
  

 8 
  

 9 
  



Fife 
  

 18 
  

 14 
  

 30 
  



Glasgow City 
  

 1,648 
  

 1,467 
  

 1,533 
  



Highland 
  

 37 
  

 18 
  

 33 
  



Inverclyde 
  

 31 
  

 13 
  

 6 
  



Midlothian 
  

 - 
  

 - 
  

 - 
  



Moray 
  

 4 
  

 2 
  

 3 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

 6 
  

 6 
  

 5 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

 20 
  

 21 
  

 17 
  



Perth & Kinross 
  

 23 
  

 22 
  

 11 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

 14 
  

 - 
  

 3 
  



Scottish BORDERs 
  

 2 
  

 2 
  

 - 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

 14 
  

 3 
  

 26 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

 13 
  

 11 
  

 10 
  



Stirling 
  

 1 
  

 2 
  

 - 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

 10 
  

 7 
  

 15 
  


West Lothian 
  

 1 
  

 - 
  

 3 
  



  Custodial sentences, 1997-99 Table 3

  Sheriff Courts

  


Court 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  



Aberdeen 
  

 924 
  

 862 
  

 843 
  



Airdrie 
  

 309 
  

 310 
  

 383 
  



Alloa 
  

 96 
  

 119 
  

 114 
  



Arbroath 
  

 142 
  

 189 
  

 141 
  



Ayr 
  

 406 
  

 460 
  

 516 
  



Banff 
  

 38 
  

 31 
  

 32 
  



Campbeltown 
  

 22 
  

 33 
  

 30 
  



Cupar 
  

 100 
  

 74 
  

 52 
  



Dingwall 
  

 57 
  

 67 
  

 53 
  



Dornoch 
  

 6 
  

 15 
  

 8 
  



Dumbarton 
  

 398 
  

 369 
  

 374 
  



Dumfries 
  

 215 
  

 207 
  

 210 
  



Dundee 
  

 665 
  

 745 
  

 728 
  



Dunfermline 
  

 303 
  

 257 
  

 232 
  



Dunoon 
  

 71 
  

 48 
  

 34 
  



Duns 
  

 14 
  

 20 
  

 10 
  



Edinburgh 
  

 1,408 
  

 1,393 
  

 1,436 
  



Elgin 
  

 141 
  

 89 
  

 117 
  



Falkirk 
  

 317 
  

 392 
  

 357 
  



Forfar 
  

 82 
  

 65 
  

 59 
  



Fort William 
  

 68 
  

 53 
  

 52 
  



Glasgow 
  

 2,450 
  

 2,406 
  

 2,689 
  



Greenock 
  

 574 
  

 645 
  

 630 
  



Haddington 
  

 95 
  

 110 
  

 73 
  



Hamilton 
  

 586 
  

 504 
  

 486 
  



Inverness 
  

 243 
  

 236 
  

 217 
  



Jedburgh 
  

 76 
  

 68 
  

 66 
  



Kilmarnock 
  

 714 
  

 945 
  

 1,006 
  



Kirkcaldy 
  

 570 
  

 553 
  

 528 
  



Kirkcudbright 
  

 44 
  

 33 
  

 38 
  



Kirkwall 
  

 19 
  

 15 
  

 26 
  



Lanark 
  

 116 
  

 92 
  

 103 
  



Lerwick 
  

 34 
  

 28 
  

 45 
  



Linlithgow 
  

 242 
  

 197 
  

 235 
  



Lochmaddy 
  

 5 
  

 10 
  

 9 
  



Oban 
  

 45 
  

 44 
  

 45 
  



Paisley 
  

 696 
  

 689 
  

 633 
  



Peebles 
  

 11 
  

 19 
  

 32 
  



Perth 
  

 280 
  

 230 
  

 202 
  



Peterhead 
  

 132 
  

 138 
  

 96 
  



Portree 
  

 6 
  

 4 
  

 2 
  



Rothesay 
  

 17 
  

 18 
  

 4 
  



Selkirk 
  

 42 
  

 51 
  

 43 
  



Stirling 
  

 202 
  

 136 
  

 145 
  



Stonehaven 
  

 36 
  

 35 
  

 30 
  



Stornoway 
  

 51 
  

 38 
  

 37 
  



Stranraer 
  

 138 
  

 150 
  

 145 
  



Tain 
  

 32 
  

 35 
  

 18 
  



Wick 
  

 38 
  

 47 
  

 25 
  



  Custodial sentences, 1997-99 Table 4

  All Courts (including High Court)

  


 


1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  



Scotland 
  

 16,207 
  

 15,926 
  

 16,091

Justice

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to change the basis for the funding of local authority criminal justice services.

Mr Jim Wallace: Following agreement between the Scottish Office and COSLA, funding of mainstream local authority criminal justice services has, since April 1999, been based on a formula approach focused on workloads and needs factors. There are no plans to change this approach.

  However, with effect from 2002-03 financial year, funding will in future be provided to groupings of, rather than individual, local authorities.

Justice

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the impact that the recommendations of the recent review of tribunals by Sir Andrew Leggatt would have on the operation of tribunals in Scotland if implemented.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Leggatt Report concerned tribunals operating in reserved areas including some which have jurisdiction in Scotland. Assessment of the impact of the recommendations is primarily a matter for the Lord Chancellor’s Department and other Whitehall Departments. Scottish Executive officials are, however, in contact with the Lord Chancellor’s Department and, with Scottish ministers , will be involved in discussion of the issues and options arising from the report.

Landfill

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued a consultation paper on the disbursement of funds to local authorities for the development of proposals designed to ensure compliance with the terms of the EU landfill directive; if so, to whom this paper has been issued, and, if this does not include local authorities, whether it intends to consult local authorities on this issue.

Rhona Brankin: A guidance document for local authorities on the operation of the Strategic Waste Fund (SWF) is currently being prepared. The SWF is for local authorities to implement the findings of Area Waste Plans which are being developed as part of the National Waste Strategy: Scotland . The plans should include measures to comply with the EU landfill directive. An initial draft of the guidance document has been discussed with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities Waste Advisers. It is intended that an amended draft be issued to all local authorities for comment.

Landfill

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Scottish Environment Protection Agency will play in any consultation on the disbursement of funds to local authorities for the development of proposals designed to ensure compliance with the terms of the EU landfill directive.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is being consulted on the development of a guidance document for local authorities on the operation of the Strategic Waste Fund. This is in its role as co-ordinator of the National Waste Strategy and constituent Area Waste Plans. The disbursement of funds to local authorities to assist with the implementation of the plans will be a matter for the Scottish ministers.

Legal Aid

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the impact of the current eligibility rules on civil legal aid in cases arising from the breakdown of marital or cohabitation relationships.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Legal Aid Board has been carrying out research on civil legal aid, including issues of eligibility. We await the results shortly.

Local Government Elections

Janis Hughes (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Local Government (Elections) (Scotland) Bill will be introduced.

Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive has today introduced the Scottish Local Government (Elections) Bill in the Scottish Parliament.

  The Executive issued a draft of the Bill on 30 March and received over 80 responses to that consultation. I have today placed a copy of responses to the consultation, except those given in confidence, in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

  Of the 31 councils that responded, 22 were in favour of both a move to four-year terms for councils and coincident local government and Scottish Parliament elections.

  Many responses to the consultation commented adversely on the draft provisions to combine local government elections with an extraordinary parliamentary election held for the Scottish Parliament. Although it was expected that this power would only be used exceptionally - one possible example might be where an extraordinary election fell only a few weeks before the due date - the Executive recognises the objection of councils that, as originally drafted, the power could be used more widely. We have therefore decided to drop the general power from the Bill but retain an option where an extraordinary election runs close to a local government election. The council tax setting date of 11 March has been raised as a suitable date and seems a sensible break point.

  A number of councils asked whether it would be possible to trial new electoral procedures similar to those run in England and Wales for the May 2000 local government elections. Accordingly, we have amended the Bill to provide for similar pilots to be run at local government elections in Scotland.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of support it is giving to the Depression Alliance and the Depression Alliance Scotland and what structures it will put in place to ensure the continuation of helplines and on-going support for people suffering from depression-related illnesses.

Malcolm Chisholm: Under section 16B of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978, the Scottish Executive Health Department currently provides core grant funding to a wide range of voluntary bodies in the mental health field. This support helps Depression Alliance Scotland, and others such as the National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland), the Samaritans and Stresswatch Scotland in a range of activities, including provision of telephone helplines to sufferers of a range of depression-related illnesses and to their carers.

  Work is also in hand to develop a national helpline for people with low mood and possible risk of suicide or self-harm.

Ministerial Correspondence

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that all answers to parliamentary questions and letters from MSPs are detailed, informed and transparent and that the minimum constraints on providing information are imposed.

Mr Tom McCabe: In answering parliamentary questions and letters from MSPs, ministers have regard to the Scottish Ministerial Code, which provides that ministers should be as open as possible with the Parliament, and to the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information .

Ministerial Correspondence

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Environment and Rural Development will reply to my letter of 16 August 2001 regarding the restructuring of the Scottish water industry.

Ross Finnie: A reply was sent on 28 September.

Ministerial Correspondence

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its performance has been in the second quarter of 2001 in answering ministerial correspondence.

Mr Tom McCabe: In my reply to Mr McNulty`s question (S1W-12613) answered on 22 December we undertook to report quarterly on the numbers of letters received by ministers and our performance in answering them. In the quarter April to June 2001, 3,607 letters were received for ministerial reply of which 64% received a reply within 17 working days, and 82% received a reply within 25 working days. This is an improvement on the first quarter of 2000 when 60% of letters received a reply within 17 working days and 79% received a reply within 25 working days.

Parliament

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it or any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies have undertaken into the economic impact of the establishment of the Parliament; what the conclusions were of any such assessments and, if no assessments have been undertaken, what plans exist for one.

Mr Tom McCabe: No such assessment has been undertaken by the Scottish Executive or any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies. No plans exist to carry out such an assessment.

Planning

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received regarding the planning application in respect of 24 Novar Drive, Hyndland, Glasgow.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit has received 110 individual letters of objection to the proposal and 1 letter in its support. In addition, two petitions totalling 768 signatures have been submitted opposing the development and a further petition with 31 signatures was submitted in support of the proposal.

Public Services

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in encouraging excellence in public services through quality and award schemes such as Charter Mark and Investor in People.

Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive is committed to providing better public services for the people of Scotland. Quality schemes such as Charter Mark and Investors in People have a part to play, and the Executive facilitates the exchange of best practice and promotes quality schemes through its Quality Networks. The Executive itself is an Investor in People and we encourage Scottish public service providers who wish to attain these and other externally assessed accreditations. There were 56 Scottish Charter Mark winners in 2000, up from 44 the previous year. We want to ensure that the steady increase in Scottish organisations securing these accreditations continues and we are developing programmes to raise further the profile of quality schemes within the Scottish public service.

Public Transport

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on the development of light railways and tram systems.

Sarah Boyack: We would welcome proposals from local authorities and other bodies for light rail systems as part of the delivery of an integrated transport policy. Such projects may qualify for support under the Public Transport Fund and Integrated Transport Fund.

Rural Development

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider its decision to close its Environment and Rural Affairs Department office in Stirling given the current situation in the agriculture industry.

Ross Finnie: No. As I have previously indicated, the decision to close the Stirling Office was taken after careful consideration of a number of options. I reviewed the decision in the light of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and other difficulties facing the industry, and concluded that this was still the best option.

Schools

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current position is in its discussions with COSLA on the procedures for the closure of rural schools.

Mr Jack McConnell: COSLA has been giving consideration to preparing a code of practice on school closures in response to a recommendation by the Parliament’s Education, Culture and Sport Committee. This has been a matter for COSLA, and the Executive has not been engaged in discussions with them on it.

Scottish Executive Expenditure

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to distribute the £6.3 million end year flexibility allocation to culture and sport.

Angus MacKay: Some of the £6.3 million end year flexibility allocation to culture and sport will be used to meet some of the costs of the National Galleries of Scotland’s refurbishment of the Royal Scottish Academy building, and works in Holyrood Park. Ministers will announce the use of the balance of the funds in due course.

Scottish Executive Expenditure

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to distribute the £101.9 million end year flexibility allocation to education.

Angus MacKay: £65 million of the £101.9 million end year flexibility figure results from a planned underspend to meet costs arising from the teachers’ pay and conditions settlement. The Minister for Education will announce the use of the balance of the funds in due course.

Scottish Executive Staff

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17547 by Angus MacKay on 6 September 2001, how many of the staff on loan from it to other organisations at any time in the period from May 1999 to date have been taken into the employment of the receiving organisation and have left the employment of the Scottish Executive.

Angus MacKay: The number of staff on loan to other organisations from May 1999 to date who have left the employment of the Scottish Executive to take up permanent employment with the receiving organisation is six.

Scottish Executive Staff

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17548 by Angus MacKay on 6 September 2001, how many of the staff on secondment from it to other organisations at any time in the period from May 1999 to date have been taken into the employment of the receiving organisation and have left the employment of the Scottish Executive.

Angus MacKay: During the period May 1999 to date, five seconded staff have been taken into the employment of the receiving organisation and have left the employment of the Scottish Executive.

Scottish Executive Staff

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff it currently has on secondment from other organisations; from which organisations these staff are seconded, and at whose cost the relevant salaries are paid.

Angus MacKay: The total number of staff currently on secondment to the Scottish Executive from other organisations is 66. The seconding organisations are as follows:

  Aberdeenshire Council

  Angus Council

  Argyll and Bute Council

  Audit Scotland

  Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work

  City of Edinburgh Council

  Common Services Agency

  Dundee City Council

  East Ayrshire Council

  East of Scotland Water Authority

  Edinburgh College of Art

  Falklands Islands Government

  Fife Council

  Fife Health Board

  Glasgow City Council

  Glasgow College of Nautical Studies

  Glasgow University

  Highland Council

  Islay & Jura Council for Voluntary Service

  Lanarkshire Careers Service

  Lanarkshire Primary Care Trust

  Lothian and BORDERs Police

  Lothian Health

  Mental Welfare Commission

  National Health Service

  North Lanarkshire Council

  Paisley Partnership Regeneration Company

  Perth and Kinross Council

  Perth Royal Infirmary

  Robert Gordon University

  Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

  Scottish Enterprise

  Scottish Enterprise BORDERs

  Scottish Federation of Housing Associations

  Scottish Homes

  Scottish Library and Information Council

  Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service

  Scottish Natural Heritage

  South Ayrshire Council

  South Lanarkshire Council

  Stirling Council

  Summerhill Education Centre

  University of Dundee

  University of Sheffield

  University of Stirling

  Volunteer Development Scotland

  West Lothian Council

  Yorkhill NHS Trust.

  Inward secondees normally continue to be paid by the employing organisation with the costs reimbursed, either fully or partially, by the Scottish Executive. Of these 66 inward secondments, 63 are fully reimbursed, one is partially reimbursed and two are seconded at no cost to the Scottish Executive.

Scottish Executive Staff

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff it has had on secondment from other organisations since May 1999; from which organisations these staff were seconded; at whose cost the relevant salaries were paid, and how many of these secondees were given employment by the Executive having left the employment of the organisation they were originally from.

Angus MacKay: The total number of staff on secondment to the Scottish Executive from other organisations during the period stated is 119. The organisations are as follows:

  Aberdeenshire Council

  Angus Council

  Argyll & Bute Council

  Audit Scotland

  BORDERs Primary Care Trust

  British Council

  Brodies Solicitors

  Cardonald College

  Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work

  City of Edinburgh Council

  Common Services Agency

  COSLA

  Dumfries and Galloway Council

  Dundee City Council

  East Ayrshire Council

  East of Scotland Water Authority

  East Renfrewshire Council

  Edinburgh College of Art

  Falklands Islands Government

  Fife Careers Ltd

  Fife Council

  Fife Health Board

  Glasgow City Council

  Glasgow College of Nautical Studies

  Highland Council

  House of Commons

  Islay & Jura Council for Voluntary Service

  Lanarkshire Careers Service

  Lanarkshire Primary Care

  Lothian and BORDERs Police

  Lothian Health

  Mental Welfare Commission

  National Health Service

  North Lanarkshire Council

  Paisley Partnership Regeneration Company

  Perth and Kinross Council

  Perth Royal Infirmary

  Project Management International

  Renfrewshire Council

  Robert Gordon University

  Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service

  Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

  Scottish Enterprise

  Scottish Enterprise BORDERs

  Scottish Enterprise Glasgow

  Scottish Federation of Housing Associations

  Scottish Homes

  Scottish Library & Information Council

  Scottish Natural Heritage

  Scottish Power

  Shepherd & Wedderburn Solicitors

  South Ayrshire Council

  South Lanarkshire Council

  Stagecoach

  Stevenson College

  Stirling Council

  Strathclyde Euro Partnership

  Strathclyde Fire Board

  Strathclyde University

  Summerhill Education Centre

  The TASC Agency

  University of Aberdeen

  University of Dundee

  University of Glasgow

  University of Sheffield

  University of Stirling

  Volunteer Development Scotland

  West Lothian Council

  Yorkhill Hospital NHS Trust.

  Inward secondees normally continue to be paid by the employing organisation with the costs reimbursed, either fully or partially, by the Scottish Executive. Of these 119 inward secondments, 113 were fully reimbursed, one was partially reimbursed and five were seconded at no cost to the Scottish Executive.

  Recruitment to the civil service is governed by the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Code. This stipulates a range of measures to ensure that all recruitment to the civil service is through fair and open competition. Conversion of an inward secondment to a permanent appointment is permitted only in exceptional circumstances and approval must be sought from the Commissioners in all cases. None of the inward secondments listed has been converted to a permanent appointment.

Student Finance

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to bring arrangements for financial support, including bursary entitlement and the means test for parental contributions for students under 18 in further education, in line with the support for parentally dependent students in higher education.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Future support for further education students under the age of 18 will be based on the findings and conclusions that emerge from evaluation of the Educational Maintenance Allowance pilots currently under way in East Ayrshire, Glasgow, Dundee and West Dunbartonshire.

Student Finance

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much in financial support was paid in total to students under 18 enrolled in (a) further and (b) higher education in each of the past three years.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Information on the financial support paid to students aged under 18 in higher education is not held centrally. The main support for living costs is by way of a student loan. The Student Loans Company Limited pay loans and do not currently hold information in the form requested. In addition, institutions administer payments of Hardship Funds and Hardship Loans. Information on the age categories of those students in receipt of the Hardship Loans and Funds is not held centrally.

  Age specific information on financial support paid to students aged under 18 in further education courses is only available for the years 1998-99 and 1999-2000. Details of the Education Maintenance Allowance Pilot scheme funded by the Scottish Executive are also shown.

  Bursary payments made by FE colleges to students under 18 on further education courses

  

 

1998-99
(£ million) 
  

1999-2000
(£ million) 
  



Bursary payments made by FE colleges to students under 
  18 
  

9.2 
  

10.2 
  



  Notes:

  Bursary expenditure is shown by financial year and includes exam fees, maintenance allowance, travel expenses, study expenses, books and equipment, residency costs and other unspecified support.

  The latest information available in respect of students on further education courses is for the academic year 1999-2000. Information for academic year 2000-01 will not be available until next spring.

  Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

  The Scottish Executive has been funding an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) Pilot scheme in East Ayrshire since 1999. The money is paid to East Ayrshire Council who administers the EMA pilot in schools and colleges for 16- to 19-year-olds. The money that has been allocated to the two further education colleges in this pilot, Kilmarnock College and Ayr College is as follows:

  

 

1999 
  

2000 
  



Kilmarnock College 
  

£121,706.25 
  

£172,129.36 
  



Ayr College 
  

£115,043.49 
  

£95,964.54 
  



  Notes:

  From this year on, EMAs will be available to under 18’s attending colleges in Glasgow, Dundee and West Dunbartonshire.

  The total EMA budget for 2001-02 is £10.2 million. However, this covers all schools and colleges in the pilot areas and includes for 16- to 19-year-olds.

Teacher Training

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve the professional standards of teachers.

Mr Jack McConnell: As part of the drive for continuous improvement, the consultation on the Standard for Full Registration was launched last week, in partnership with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).

  When introduced from August 2002, the Standard for Full Registration will serve two main purposes. It will provide:

  a clear and concise description of the professional qualities and capabilities teachers are expected to develop in the course of induction, and

  a professional standard against which reliable and consistent decisions can be made on the fitness of new teachers for full registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

  In addition, we are working with our partners to develop a national framework for teachers’ continuing professional development. The CPD framework, which will be in place from August 2003, will enable teachers to maintain and enhance their professional skills throughout the life of their teaching career and will underpin the new contractual obligation on all teachers to undertake 35 hours professional development each year, in addition to current working hours.

Tourism

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what support is being made available for farm tourism.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: We announced in August, as part of the foot-and-mouth disease recovery package, that £300,000 would be spent on developing environmentally based tourism opportunities for the farming sector. Initial work has been undertaken. The project will focus on Dumfries and Galloway and the BORDERs.

Training

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which projects in Clackmannanshire have received funding from the New Futures Fund in each of the last two years.

Ms Wendy Alexander: One project - the Central Scotland Council on Alcohol project in Sauchie - has received funding.

Travellers

Kate MacLean (Dundee West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to the Equal Opportunities Committee’s 1st Report 2001, Inquiry into Gypsy Travellers and Public Sector Policies .

Jackie Baillie: The Executive presented its response to the Parliament today.

Waste Management

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17943 by Rhona Brankin on 18 September 2001, whether there is any reason why it could not introduce a system of producer responsibility for the collection and treatment of waste electrical and electronic products before the proposed European directive has been finalised.

Rhona Brankin: There is no legislative bar to doing so but business in Scotland could be disadvantaged through having to discharge a producer responsibility obligation from which its competitors elsewhere in the United Kingdom were exempt.

Waste Management

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17943 by Rhona Brankin on 18 September 2001, whether it is aware that Sweden has introduced a system of producer responsibility for waste electrical and electronic products within the last year.

Rhona Brankin: Yes.

Waste Management

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many tonnes of end-of-life waste electrical and electronic equipment have been disposed of in an non-environmentally acceptable way in each of the past three years.

Rhona Brankin: Data on the amounts of waste, electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) disposed of are not held centrally. A recent research report commissioned by the Executive and entitled The Determination of the Source, Nature, Amount and Disposal Routes of WEEE Arising in Scotland , that is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 14595) estimated that some 42,000 tonnes of WEEE was produced in 2000. Much of this may have been landfilled although some will have been reused or recycled.

  There is no definition of what is an "environmentally acceptable" way in which to dispose of WEEE but the proposed EC Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment will prescribe treatment standards when it is introduced. In the meantime, it is an offence to dispose of any waste in a way that causes harm to human health or pollution of the environment.

Water Authority

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many candidates were interviewed for the position of (a) Chairman and (b) Chief Executive of the new Scottish Water Authority.

Ross Finnie: Three and two respectively.

Youth Crime

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to progress the work of the First Minister’s Policy Unit on youth crime.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive set up an Advisory Group on Youth Crime and, following its report, accepted all the group’s recommendations. Work has begun on implementing them. In particular, this includes the allocation of £20 million over three years, from April 2001, to local authorities for the development of community-based programmes to reduce offending by persistent young offenders. The Scottish Executive has consulted widely with key interests on the implementation of the report and will be circulating a strategic framework for local authority activities before the end of the year. Scottish ministers are also considering the terms of a feasibility study into pilot schemes to divert 16 and 17-year-old minor offenders away from the adult criminal justice system.

Youth Crime

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in reducing (a) arrest rates and (b) crime rates among persons aged under 18 years.

Iain Gray: Statistics on these specific areas are not currently available to track progress. In Scotland, young people under 16 who offend are dealt with by the Children’s Hearing system and those over 16 are normally prosecuted through the criminal justice system. However, recent trends from monthly statistical returns for the level of casework activity of Reporters, collected by the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration, indicate that the number of young people detained in custody by the police aged under 16 has declined in recent years.

  Our aim is to significantly reduce the number of young people involved in crime. The Children’s Hearing system exists in part to divert those under 16 from the court system. It is generally regarded as successful and its aims receive broad-based support. This is why the Scottish Executive is developing a scheme to test, on a pilot basis, whether the offending behaviour of a significant number of 16 and 17-year-olds could be dealt with effectively within the Children’s Hearing system. Also, earlier this year, the Scottish Executive announced a three-year £20 million investment programme to enable local authorities to set up multi-agency youth crime teams and to develop community-based programmes to reduce offending among persistent young offenders.

Youth Crime

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it makes available annually to assist in diverting youngsters from the criminal justice system.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive is committed to promoting social inclusion and citizenship for all young people. £20 million has been committed over the next three years to provide programmes to tackle persistent offending so that fewer young people will graduate to the adult criminal justice system. Drug use by children or their families has been identified as an important factor which affects offending behaviour. A further £18 million has therefore been allocated over the next three years to tackling drugs misuse by or affecting children, young people and families through the Changing Children’s Services Fund.

  In addition, over the next three years, some £87 million will be spent on facilities and programmes for sport in schools and outdoor adventure through the New Opportunities Fund, with a particular emphasis on offering positive alternatives to youth crime and anti-social behaviour.

Youth Crime

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children have been detained in (a) prisons and (b) police cells over the past five years and what the period of detention and reason for detention was in each case.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information as regards prisons is given in tables 16, 17 and 18 of Prison Statistics Scotland, 1999 published by the Scottish Executive in 2000, a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 11180). Information on the number of children detained in police cells over time is not held centrally.

Youth Crime

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children are currently detained in (a) prisons and (b) police cells and what the probable period of detention and reason for detention is in each case.

Mr Jim Wallace: As at 18 September 2001, the latest date for which information is available, one child (aged under 16) was being detained in a Scottish prison for a period of eight days for robbery.

  Three children were being detained by Scottish police forces at 12pm on 21 September 2001. The reasons for detention were: (i) theft; (ii) breach of the peace and possession of an offensive weapon and (iii) assault. All were expected to be released within the following two hours.